Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni.
Getty Images (2)Blake LivelyThe legal team of has responded to the new It ends with us video posted by Justin Baldonilawyer of.
“Justin Baldoni and his attorney may be hoping this latest stunt will preempt the damning evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Every frame of the leaked footage corroborates literally what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her complaint,” Lively’s legal team said in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 21. “The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning toward Ms. Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, running his thumb over her lips, caressing her, saying how good she smells , and to talk to her uncharacteristically.
The statement continued: “Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni without prior discussion or consent and without the presence of an intimacy coordinator. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s colleague, but also director, head of (the) studio and boss of Ms. Lively.”
The release also notes that in the clip, Lively, 37, “leans over and repeatedly asks the characters to just talk.”
“Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort,” the statement concluded. “They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect unwanted touching. No woman should take protective measures against being touched by her employer without their consent.
Lively’s legal team also criticized Baldoni, 40, who also directed the film, and his legal time for play the video to the public instead of holding it in court.
“This matter is in active litigation in federal court. Releasing this video to the media instead of presenting it as evidence in court is yet another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public,” the statement said. “This is also a continuation of their campaign of harassment and revenge. While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process. We continue our efforts to hold Mr. Baldoni and his associates to justice under oath, not through fabricated media stunts.”
In response to the latest statement and allegations from Lively’s legal team regarding the footage, Baldoni’s attorney Brian Friedman said us“Before taking her case to court, Ms. Lively went to The New York Times in an attempt to publicly destroy Justin Baldoni. When Mr. Baldoni exercised his right to publicly defend himself by presenting actual facts and evidence, it instantly became morally and ethically wrong for Ms. Lively and the team. Ms. Lively wants very different standards to be applied to her, but fortunately truth and authenticity apply to everyone and can never be wrong. Looking at the video and the upcoming evidence, I can understand why Ms. Lively would not want this to be shown publicly now.
The footage obtained from us earlier Tuesday, features the stars romantically slow-dancing and laughing in character for a dialogue-free montage throughout the film. However, the duo could be heard exchanging ideas for the scene as they rocked back and forth.
“Ms. Lively’s complaint alleges that during a scene that Mr. Baldoni and Ms. Lively were filming for a slow dance montage, Mr. Baldoni behaved inappropriately,” the statement said at the beginning of the video. “The following videos, recorded on May 23, 2023, clearly refute the characterization of Ms. Lively’s behavior. The scene in question is meant to show how the two characters fall in love and yearn to be close to each other. Both actors clearly behave well in the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism. These are all three photos taken of the sequence.
Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against The New York Times has shed further light on the apparent creative differences between him and It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively. Baldoni, 40, is suing The Times for $250 million, alleging defamation and false light, invasion of privacy over the paper’s reporting on Lively, who is suing him for sexual (…)
In addition to releasing the video, Baldoni’s attorney also shared plans to create a website which will include “relevant videos” and “correspondence” between Baldoni and Lively.
“Justin and the team have the right to defend themselves with the truth,” Friedman’s statement read. “And that’s what we will continue to show with the upcoming website containing all the correspondence, as well as relevant videos that directly refute her claims.”
Lively and Baldoni ongoing legal drama started last month when she filed a lawsuit against the director. In her filing, Lively alleges that Baldoni sexually harassed her and created hostile work environment while on set It ends with us.
Baldoni, for his part, categorically denied the allegations. He subsequently judge New York Times for $250 million after the outlet reported Lively’s claims against him.
As Justin Baldoni’s legal battle with Blake Lively continues, his attorney Brian Friedman claims that the actor did not approach the situation with bad intentions towards his co-star. In an interview with NBC News’ Liz Kreutz on the Friday, January 3 episode of Today, Friedman denied Lively’s claims that Baldoni coordinated the defamation against her after (…)
Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios too filed a lawsuit last month directly against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynoldsand Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloanseeking $400 million in damages. In the papers, Baldoni accused the group of civil extortion, defamation, false light, invasion of privacy, etc.
After news of Baldoni’s lawsuit broke, Lively break his silence in a statement through her legal team.
“This latest lawsuit by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and his associates is another chapter in the abusers’ book. It’s an age-old story: a woman comes forward with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to turn the victim over. This is what the experts call a GIFT. I refuse. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender,” the message reads. “Wayfarer has chosen to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch frivolous lawsuits, and threaten litigation to defeat the public’s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations .”
